Cleaning device



June 24, 1941. H. c. COCHRAN CLEANING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l ML: a Mm 4 mm wm mw YR I IN VENTOR.

CHRHN 40%} ATTORNEYS- June 24, 1941. H. c. COCHRAN GLEANiNG DEVICE Filed Feb. 25. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

E'HHHN ATTORNEYS Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING DEVICE Henry C. Cochran, Sacramento, Calif. Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 258,103

2 Claims. (01. 15--28) This invention relates to improvements in cleaning devices and has particular reference to a device for cleaning the inside of oil burners.

The principal object of this invention is to produce a device which is compact, easy to operate,

and one which may be placed through a relatively small opening within a confined area, and then expanded downwardly and outwardly so as to accomplish the cleaning operation.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my cleaner;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.- 1; and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The average oil burner of the natural draft type consists of a fire pot having a burner ring with an opening therethrough; and during the burning of such a device, soot and hard incrustations form within the burner both in the bottom of the pot and upon the side walls thereof. It is, therefore, necessary at times to clean away this soot or incrustation. However, due to the inaccessibility of the burner when in use and also the limited area of the opening through the burner ring, it is exceedingly difficult to accomplish this cleaning operation.

Applicant has, therefore, devised a tool or cleaner wherein a telescoping arrangement permits brushes to be moved downwardly through the burner and ring, and then expanded horizontally to contact the side walls of the burner beneath the ring.

In order to accomplish this cleaning operation, I employ a horizontally disposed handle 5 which is attached to a cup-like housing 6. Extending through the handle 5 is a shaft 1 which may be rotated by a crank handle 8 and has a gear 9 attached to its opposite end, this gear being positioned within the housing 6 and meshing with a gear II journaled in the bottom of the housing 6. Slidably supported within the housing 5 are telescoping tubular members l2, l3, and M. A plate tubular member i2. Keyways I1 and 18 are cut in the tubular member l2 so as to receive keys l9 and 21 respectively, which keys are carried by the gear ll. (See Fig. 5.) The tubular member 13 has threaded engagement with the crosspiece 22 and has its lower end connected to a crosspiece 28. Similar keyways 23 and 24 connect the tubular member l3 to the tubular member 12. The tubular member I4 is connected to a crosspiece 21 and is threaded through the crosspiece 2B and is similarly keyed to the tubular member I3. The arrangement of these keyways is best illustrated in Fig. 5. A threaded extension 28 has threaded engagement with the crosspiece 21 and carries upon its lower end a brush plate 29, upon the bottom of which are located horizontal sliding brushes 3| and 32, which brushes are constructed with steel fingers extending downwardly and with end brushes 33, pivoted as at 34 and also having steel fingers. The plate 29 is cut as shown at 36 so as to permit the end brushes 33 to move to a point within the periphery of the plate 29. The brushes 3| and 32 are moved to their extended position by springs 35 and 31 respectively and are drawn to their innermost position by a cable 38 attached to the outer ends of the brushes and extending upwardly through the member 28 and tubular members l2, l3, and I4, thence through a tube 39, and is connected to a ring 41 slidable upon the handle 5.

In order to prevent rotation of the crosspieces 22, 26 and 21 with respect to the housing 6, I provide sliding guides 41, 42, and 43 respectively which are held in guides attached to the side of the housing.

The result of this construction is that when it is desired to employ my cleaner, the operator turns the crank handle 8 in such a direction as to move all of the tubular members I2, 13 and I4 and the extension, 28 into telescoping position. Then the operator pulls upon the cable to pull the brushes 3| and 32 toward each other or to a point of minimum extension. The device is now placed over the burner and the! lever 8 rotated in such a direction as to move the tubular members l2, l3, and I4, and extension 28 to extended position. As the extension 28 will rotate during the expanding movement, it is necessary to provide a swivel 58 at any convenient point within the length of the cable 38. As soon as the brush plate 29 has passed through the ring in the burner, the operator may let go of the ring 4|, at which time the springs 35 and 31 will move the brushes outwardly until the end brushes 33 engage the sides of the burner pot. Continued rotation of the crank handle 8 will cause the device to move further downwardly into the pot and contact the bottom of the pot with a rotating motion, thereby cleaning the same before the limit of extension of the device has been reached.

By now reversing the operation the parts may again be telescoped, the brushes contracted, and the entire device removed from the burner.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a housing, a handle secured to said housing, a shaft extending through said handle and having a gear secured to one end thereof and positioned in said housing, an operating lever secured to the opposite end thereof, a second gear positioned in said housing and meshing with said first-mentioned gear, a tubular member extending through said housing and said second-mentioned gear, said tubular member having threaded connection with said housing, connecting means between said second-mentioned gear and said tubular member, whereby rotation of said gears will move said tubular member with relation to said housing, and

threaded tubular extensions carried by said tubular member and responsive to relative rotation of said housing and said tubular member to axially move said extensions relative to said tubular member, one of said extensions having a brushing arrangement secured thereto, whereby rotation of said shaft will cause said tubular members to move relative to each other.

2. In a device of the character described, a housing, a handle secured to said housing, a shaft extending through said handle and having a gear secured to one end thereof and positioned in said housing, a second gear positioned in said housing and meshing with said first mentioned gear, a tubular member extending through said housing and said second mentioned gear, said tubular member having threaded connection with said housing, connecting means between said second mentioned gear and said tubular member, a threaded tubular extension carried by said tubular member and splined to rotate therewith and having a threaded connection with the housing and responsive to relative rotation of said housing and said tubular member to axially move said extension relative to said tubular member, a brush carried by the outer end of the threaded tubular extension, whereby the rotation of the shaft causes said tubular members to move relative to each other and simultaneously rotate the brush.

HENRY C. COCHRAN. 

